When the Green Bay Packers traded up in 2020 to take Jordan Love in the first round, the team has always envisioned him taking over from Aaron Rodgers and being their quarterback of the future. Although those were high expectations, the QB has been living up to it.
In fact, some could say that he’s the next Rodgers for the Packers, as the numbers back up that claim.
Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers Have Eerily Similar Stats as First-Time Starters
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Much like Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers had to wait for some time before becoming a starter. It wasn’t until Rodgers’ third year in the NFL that he became the QB1 of the Green Bay Packers.
In 2008, Rodgers took over from Brett Favre and played and started in 16 games. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes (341 of 536) en route to 4038 yards and 28 touchdowns–32 overall including the four rushing TDs he had.
With Love claiming the QB1 role after Rodgers’ departure in the 2023 offseason, he has since posted almost similar numbers. In 16 games so far as well, Love has recorded 3843 yards and 30 passing touchdowns on 63.1 percent pass completion (345 of 547). He also has four rushing TDs to his name.
Making the comparison even better, both players have a 93.8 passer rating in their first 16 games as a starter, per Ryan Wood of USA Today.
Considering how similar the process was on how the two QBs came to become the Packers’ top guy–taking over from the aging and departing QB1 after being under their wing for a couple of years–it’s definitely shocking that the resemblance in their careers extend beyond that.
Of course that doesn’t mean Love will have the same trajectory as Rodgers. It’s just unfair to put that much pressure on a young quarterback.
Nonetheless, it’s definitely great to see Love get off to a rather historic start. If he can build off from such a strong season, it’s not hard to see him becoming a superstar in the league as well.
Aaron Rodgers Has an Advice for Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers Fans
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Amid this interesting coincidence, it’s worth bringing back up what Aaron Rodgers said recently about Jordan Love and the massive expectations on him.
Rodgers pleaded Green Bay Packers fans not to crown Love too early, noting that it could have a negative impact on his growth.
The hype around Love started after Week 13 following a strong run that saw him lead the team to three straight wins, and many were quick to proclaim the quarterback as the team’s savior and next big thing. Sure enough, Rodgers didn’t like that one bit since it puts unnecessary pressure on Love.
“He’s playing, especially the last three games, outstanding. But, he’s in his first year starting. As well as he’s playing, can we not crown him right now? For his own sake. Because, we shouldn’t do that to kids. We shouldn’t crown them, and we shouldn’t cancel them,” Rodgers said at the time.
“I love Jordan and I think he’s gonna be a great player in the league for a long time, but can we let him play his career?”
While Love is having a Rodgers-esque season, as the Packers icon said, it is crucial to let him grow and learn from his mistakes. Fans can keep supporting Love without pressuring him to always be perfect.
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